Multi-storey building comprising unit compartments

ABSTRACT

Multi-storey buildings comprising unit compartments which can be completely constructed in the factory and easily transported, comprising ceiling and floor slabs and side walls made of reinforced concrete, characterized in that: THE COMPARTMENTS HAVE SIDE WALLS WHICH ARE SHELLS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BETWEEN 3 AND 8 CM THICK AND PREFERABLY BETWEEN 4 AND 6 CM THICK; THE SIDE WALLS ARE BOLTED TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE CEILING AND FLOOR SLABS; AND THE COMPARTMENTS OF THE BOTTOM STOREY COMPRISE SUITABLY DISPOSED BREASTSUMMERS OF SUITABLE DIMENSIONS WHICH BEAR AT LEAST ONE STOREY OF COMPARTMENTS OF THE SAME KIND.

limited States Patent 91 Boelet a1.

[ MULTI-STOREY BUILDING COWRISING UNIT COMPAR'IMENTS [75] Inventors: Charles Boiil, Labuissiere; Francois Pot, Lens; Claude Sacltot, Bully- Montigny, all of France [73] Assignee: Houilleres Du Bassir Du Norde &

Du Pas-DE-Calois, Douai (Nord), France 22 Filed: May 4,1970

211 App]. No.: 34,069

[52] US. Cl ..52/79, 52/236 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04l1 1/04 [58] Field of Search ..52/79, 236, 234, 293, 745

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,118,187 1/1964 Alimanestiano ..52/236 3,500,595 3/1970 Bennett ..52/236 3,568,380 3/1971 Stucky ..52/79 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 306,414 4/1966 Sweden ..52/79 ]Marclt 20, 1973 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Netherlands Printed Application to Beaupene 6709528 Jan. 12, 1968 (3 sht of dwrg; 4 pp. of spec.)

Primary Examiner-John E. Murtagh Attorney-Bucknam and Archer [5 7] ABSTRACT Multi-storey buildings comprising unit compartments which can be completely constructed in the factory and easily transported, comprising ceiling and floor slabs and side walls made of reinforced concrete, characterized in that:

the compartments have side walls which are shells of reinforced concrete between 3 and 8 cm thick and preferably between 4 and 6 cm thick; the side walls are bolted to each other and to the ceiling and floor slabs; and the compartments of the bottom storey comprise suitably disposed breastsummers of suitable dimensions which bear at least one storey of compartments of the same kind.

9 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZO I975 3,721. 052

SHEET 10!? s PATENTED A 7 3.721.052

sum W e PA-IENTEDMARZO m5 3,721, 052

' SHEET 5. OF 6 5 139 Tc-r 145 759v ,g 756 MULTll-STOREY BUILDING COMPRISING UNlT COMPARTMENTS The invention relates to industrial methods of constructing multi-storey buildings from load-bearing compartments having reinforced concrete walls.

Because of the increasing development of industrial mass-production methods and the resulting reduction in costs, attempts have long been made to increase the applications of this form of production to building.

Many years ago, for example, it was proposed to construct compartments, generally of parallelepipedal shape, entirely by mass-production in the factory. One of the main advantages of the aforementioned method is that not only the elements forming the main walls or foundation, but nearly all the secondary structures, i.e., the complete internal fittings of the compartments, could be produced by factory methods.

All forms of concrete-more particularly reinforced concrete, which is a cheap material having important propertiesis particularly suitable for constructing the compartments, provided that the method of using it is sufficiently advanced to solve the problems of factory manufacture, transport, and the assembly of the compartments on the site.

Accordingly, four types of construction have been proposed:

a. self-supporting compartment which can have, e.g., relatively thin walls of reinforced concrete and which are disposed side by side on a single storey;

b. self-supporting compartments similar to the first kind, which are inserted in spaces between the load-bearing beams and which, together with the corresponding posts, form the framework of a localized building;

0. load-bearing compartments which can be piled on top of one another because of the great thickness of their walls or because the walls are locally reinforced by ribs at suitable places; and

d. load-bearing compartments which are piled on one another by means of framework elements forming an integral part of the compartment; in the latter case, the walls are mere facing panels and can be extremely light.

The disadvantages of the aforementioned constructions are well known:

Self-supporting compartments with relatively thin walls have hitherto been used only for the construction of single-storey buildings;

Self-supporting compartments corresponding to the preceding compartments and used for multi-storey buildings are always inserted in a framework which'is expensive and difficult to assemble;

Load-bearing compartments having thick or ribbed walls are excessively heavy and unwieldy; they are therefore difficult to transport and assemble and the resulting constructions are expensive;

Load-bearing compartments incorporating a framework are difficult to produce in the factory and the framework has to be made unduly large because of the lateral forces exerted upon it, e.g., during transport. This increases the cost of the compartments and of multi-storey buildings constructed from the compartments.

Finally, whatever type of load-bearing compartments are used, the positioning of the compartments and the method of transmitting forces from one compartment to another has raised numerous problems, since the places where the compartments bear on one another are not exactly known.

Consequently, the few methods in present use for constructing load-bearing compartments on an industrial scale are limited to the following:

The single-shell load-bearing compartment, which is extremely difficult to construct in a factory, and

The load-bearing compartment having prestressed concrete walls, which is very difficult to assemble with other similar compartments, since the stresses have to be conveyed from one compartment to another by lines to provide the stresses in the walls of each compartment.

The invention, which obviates all the aforementioned disadvantages, aims to construct multi-storey buildings from load-bearing compartments.

The invention is based on the following simultaneous discoveries:

1. It has unexpectedly been discovered that thin shells of reinforced concrete can withstand considerable localized loads; more particularly, reinforced concrete shells which are less than 8 cm thick and preferably less then 6 cm thick are strong enough to form the side walls of load-bearing compartments which can bear a certain number of similar compartments.

2. It has also been discovered that the aforementioned thin concrete shells can easily be bolted together to form the side walls of a load-bearing compartment having high resistance to collapse.

3. It has also been discovered that the problem of supporting the upper compartments on the lower compartments can easily be solved if a limited number of suitably disposed breastsummers of suitable size is used for each compartment.

The aforementioned discoveries have led to the development of load-bearing compartments having walls made of reinforced concrete shells which are less than 8 cm thick and preferably less than 6 cm thick, and the construction of multi-storey buildings by using breastsummers to superpose the aforementioned loadbearing compartments between the storeys of the buildings.

Accordingly, the invention relates to multi-storey buildings comprising unit compartments which can be completely constructed in the factory and easily transported, comprising ceiling and floor slabs and side walls made of reinforced concrete, characterized in that the compartments have side walls which are shellsof reinforced concrete between 3 and 8 cm thick and preferably between 4 and 6 cm thick; and side walls are bolted to each other and to the ceiling and floor slabs; and the compartments comprise suitably disposed breastsummers of suitable dimensions which bear at least one storey of compartments of the same kind.

According to one feature of the invention, the side walls of the compartments are made of thin shells of reinforced concrete. All known kinds of concrete can be used but, of course, it is often advantageous for industrial purposes to use high-quality concrete which is known to the skilled addressee. The high mechanical strength of thin concrete shells is surprising in itself, since the properties of the shells have never been systematically studied and the results obtained have surprised the various specialists who have been consulted. The concrete shells used can, of course, be formed with apertures for doors or windows, or with openings. The shells should be between 3 and 8 cm thick and are preferably between 4 and 6 cm thick. The thickness of the shells clearly depends on the number of storeys in the building and may depend on the actual load supported by the compartment in question.

It is quite possible, for example, for the lower storeys to be formed from compartments made of shells which are thicker than the shells forming the compartments for upper storeys.

It has been found that when the reinforced concrete shells are less than approximately 3 cm thick, the safety factor is no longer sufficient for the compartments to be considered load-bearing in the sense which has been defined. Such thin compartments also present difficulties with regard to the industrial construction of very thin shells and the transport and assembly of the compartments.

On the other hand, if the concrete shells are more than approximately 8 cm thick, the aforementioned difficulties of using thick-walled compartments occur.

in order to satisfy the many technical requirements, it has therefore been decided that the concrete shells used should be between 3 and 8 cm thick. In most cases, however, e.g., when the buildings do not have more than five storeys, the shells used are preferably between 4 and 6 cm thick. Such shells have been found strong enough to construct compartments for multistorey buildings, and the compartments are sufficiently strong to withstand transport from the factory to the building site and sufficiently light to be manipulated by very mobile lifting means.

The bolted-together compartments have a surprisingly high mechanical strength, in view of the thinness of the concrete shells used for their walls and in view of the non-uniform dimensions of the concrete shells. The properties of the reinforced concrete shells used according to the invention are surprising in themselves, as already stated. However the high mechanical strength of the compartments is even more surprising, in view of the non-uniform dimensions of concrete shells prepared industrially. The result of the non-uniform dimensions is that, when the shells and slabs have been assembled, the floor and ceiling slabs do not bear uniformly at all places on the concrete shells forming the compartment walls. Consequently, the shells and the upper compartments are subject to forces which are non-uniformly distributed and which could impair the strength of the shells. in spite of these disadvantages, which are inherent in any industrial method of manufacturing concrete, it has been found that each compartment according to the invention can withstand considerable loads.

Attempts have also been made to obviate the difficulty resulting from the non-uniform dimensions of the shells, in order to construct multi-storey buildings. It has been found-and this is a feature of the invention-that the floor and ceiling slabs can be much more firmly supported by the concrete shells forming the side walls of the compartments if a suitable thickness of a plastic substance is inserted between the bearing surfaces or parts of the bearing surfaces. The substance can be a thermosetting plastics in situ, e.g., a polyester.

The great strength of filled polyesters is particularly well known. Such substances, when used for joints according to the invention, can easily compensate the non-uniform dimensions of the concrete shells and the remarkable properties of the shells can be fully exploited.

According to another important feature of the invention, the concrete shells are bolted to one another and to the floor and ceiling slabs. The question arises whether the panels forming the compartments can be bolted together in a sufficiently rigid manner to withstand the loads which the compartments have to bear. It has unexpectedly been discovered that relatively simple bolts, e.g. three bolts between 8 and 12 mm in diameter uniformly distributed along a shell 2.5 m high, are more than sufficient to prevent the concrete shells from buckling when they are loaded by the upper compartments. The compartments are very easy to bolt together and can thus be completely factory-produced by manufacturing flat individual panels which are subsequently assembled. The bolts are an essential element of load-bearing compartments according to the invention.

It has also been discovered that the bolts can give each compartment additional rigidity and strength because of the trihedral, double trihedral or caisson effects which are known and used for other purposes and with other materials. For example, it has unexpectedly been discovered that when the thin concrete shells were merely bolted together, the strength and rigidity of the compartments was increased to a greater extent than would be expected by simply adding the properties of individual shells. Such an effect is observed as soon as a trihedron is formed by bolting two concrete shells to a floor or ceiling slab, but the effect is particularly important in the case of a double trihedron at the two ends of a vertical edge of a compartment. In the compartments according to the invention, systematic use is made of the double trihedron effect, which greatly increases the rigidity of the compartment and its resistance to collapse. In some cases, the same effect has also been observed in the compartment considered as a unit, which acquires additional properties because of the caisson effect which is known in the case of other substances, e.g., metals. The increase in rigidity and strength due to the caisson" effect can be observed as soon as two double trihedrons are adjacent.

Finally, according to an important feature of the invention, the superposed compartments are separated one from another by breastsummers. Breastsummers are elements, usually made of concrete, which are inserted between the compartments and by means of which the upper compartments bear on the lower compartments. The purpose of the breastsummers is:

to transmit the load consisting of the upper compartments to certain suitably selected areas of the lower compartments;

to enable the upper compartments to be suitably located so that they are horizontal and on the correct storey; and

to provide a continuous space between compartments in the horizontal planes between each storey.

The breastsummers can be, e.g.:

individual sections inserted between two storeys made up of compartments;

concrete protuberances formed on the outer surface of the slabs forming the upper surfaces of the compartments and/or on the outer surfaces of the slabs forming the lower surfaces of the compartments; these protuberances can clearly be constructed at the same time as the slabs; or

localize projections from the shells forming the lateral walls of the compartments; in the latter case, the slabs forming the floor and/or ceiling of the compartments should of course be suitably grooved so that the projections can move over them.

Breastsummers, when used between superposed compartments, can localize the loads borne by the lower compartments; this is important, since the calization exactly defines the surfaces which bear stresses and enables the most suitable positions to be chosen for these surfaces. The localization can also be used to determine the area of the bearing surfaces so as to make the most efficient use of the properties of concrete shells. With regard to the area of the bearing surfaces, it has been found that the breastsummers are advantageously dimensioned so that each bearing surface in line with the concrete shells has an area between approximately 100 and 500 cm. If, for example, the concrete shells are 5 cm thick, it is advantageous to use breastsummers whose bearing length level with each shell is between 20 and 100 cm. Clearly, the area of the bearing zones can be increased, but it is then difficult to ensure that the forces are uniformly exerted on all the bearing surfaces.

We shall now show some possible uses of breastsummers made of concrete sections which are independent of the compartments.

When the buildings according to the invention have a small number of storeys, the position of the breastsummers is not critical and they can, for example, be disposed in line with the vertical edges of the load-bearing compartments. A single breastsummer, if disposed in this manner, can serve a number of compartments; for example, the edges or places near the edges of four compartments on a single storey which are closest to a single breastsummer can rest on the breastsummer, which in turn will rest on four neighboring compartments in the storey below.

It has also been discovered, according to another important feature of the invention, that in the case of buildings having a relatively large number of storeys, the breastsummers should preferably not rest directly in line with the vertical edges of the compartments, but the edges of the bearing surfaces of the breastsummers should be at least cm away from the aforementioned vertical edges. If the breastsummers are arranged in this manner, a single breastsummer can still clearly serve a number of adjacent compartments; to this end, the center of the breastsummer merely needs to be slightly hollowed so that its effective bearing surfaces are at the required distance from the position of alignment with the vertical edges.

Since the independent breastsummers are not directly in contact with the thin concrete shells, but are in contact with the external surfaces of the slabs forming the floor and ceiling of the compartments, it may be advantageous to prevent the breastsummers resting on the unsupported part of the slabs by hollowing out that part of the breastsummers which may be in contact with the aforementioned unsupported part. In the latter case, the effective load-bearing surface of the breastsummers is directly and only in line with the shells and can be in the form of a square or a number of neighboring squares. The corner of the squares does not form part of the load-bearing surface.

The use of breastsummers also ensures that the compartments for each storey are horizontal and at the required level. Because of the tolerances during the manufacture of the compartments, the outer upper surfaces of the lower compartments are not usually quite horizontal or quite in the same plane. It is therefore necessary to define a new horizontal plane common to all the bearing points of compartments on a single storey. This operation is performed by using a ductile material or thermosetting plastics which is inserted underneath the various bearing surfaces to ensure that the top surfaces of the breastsummers are in the same plane. The substances used for this purpose can be, e.g., thin 1 mm thick sheets of lead or filled polyester which is polymerized in situ.

Finally, the breastsummers are used to provide a continuous empty space between different storeys of compartments in a building according to the invention. Such a feature is very useful for providing heat and sound insulation between the superposed compartments and for leaving apertures for piping of various kinds. The feature has been found to be so important that, according to the invention, a similar empty space is preferably left between elementary compartments on a single storey. The building according to the invention is therefore characterized in that there is a continuous empty space between all the elementary compartments forming the building.

Consequently, all ducts, pipes, wires, cables and other applicances serving the compartments can extend through the free spaces between compartments.

The main advantage is that, because of the free spaces, all the appliances can be mounted directly on the outside of the compartments when they are manufactured in the factory. Consequently, most of the secondary structures required for the building can easily be assembled at the factory.

We shall now give two examples of the installation of secondary structures in the factory.

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION methods of subsequently connecting them to the public electricity supply. The spider arms are then placed in position on the outside of the compartment walls, so as to supply electric current where required.

All the electric installations are therefore assembled at the factory on the outside of the compartment and are disposed in the spaces between compartments, after the compartments have been erected.

AIR-CONDITIONING The installation of air-heating and, more generally, air-conditioning plant is much easier in buildings according to the invention.

The plant, which inter alia comprises air-treating apparatus supplying a network for distributing and withdrawing air from the compartments, is essentially characterized in that the network is at least partly made up by the empty spaces round the compartments, which communicate with one another and are sealed off from the exterior.

The plant for treating air in the building can easily be adapted for heating the building by hot air, pulsated if required, or more generally can be adapted to air-conditioning, in which case the air is heated or cooled depending on the season, and if required is filtered and its moisture content is adjusted.

Clearly, the number of conduits can be reduced by using the empty spaces provided between the compartments for conveying air. The cost of the installation is reduced, not only by the saving in material, but also because of the reduction in labor costs, and the compartments are easier to manipulate during assembly. To this end, connections should be provided between the empty spaces conveying distributed air or air withdrawn from the compartments. These connections for the air ducts are already present or can easily be provided. The spaces should be sealed off from the exterior-a simple matter, more particularly when parts or all of the building is already heat-insulated.

The air-conveying network can easily be constructed by allowing the air in the free spaces round the compartments to flow in one direction only with respect to the treatment apparatus, the air flowing in the other direction through conduits. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air can flow from the treatment apparatus through conduits to other conduits and compartments, i.e., in the distribution system, whereas some or all of the air is withdrawn through the free spaces round the compartments. At least some of the withdrawn air can be recycled through the treatment apparatus. Consequently, the walls of compartments facing the interior of the building have both sides in contact with treated air-an advantage for heating purposes.

It should also be noted that at least some of the airdistribution conduits can themselves be disposed in the spaces round the compartments. In the constructions according to the invention, the free spaces left for health purposes under the compartments, between superposed compartments or under the ground-floor compartments, are often wider than the lateral spaces between compartments. They can contain conduits or ducts of large diameter, and the air-distribution apertures can be formed in the floor itself. Inlets for withdrawing air communicate with the vertical or horizontal spaces between compartments. Ducts can extend from one storey to another into the spaces between the compartments or into the compartments, depending on requirements and on costs.

Some embodiments of the invention are shown in FIGS. I to 11, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a compartment for use in a building according to the invention, showing part of the internal and external fittings of the compartment;

FIG. 2 is a partly cut-away perspective diagram of four compartments assembled together;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are side and front views respectively of the method of bolting two reinforced concrete panels; 5 FIG. 5 shows how the compartments are mounted on their supports;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of vertical elements for bracing the open compartments after the ceiling slabs have been removed;

FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d are perspective views of various individual breastsummers for use according to the invention;

FIG. 8, in perspective, shows an embodiment of the invention in which the breastsummers are projections from the concrete shells used as side walls, and

FIGS. 9 to 11 show air-conditioning apparatus for use in buildings according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the ground floor of a single house equipped according to the invention;

FIG. 9a shows part of FIG. 9 on a larger scale;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the first storey of the house in FIG. 9, and

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-section on a larger scale, along the plane XIXI of FIG. 9, of the ground floor and basement of the house.

The invention will be illustrated by the following non-limitative examples:

EXAMPLE 1 The properties of a thin shell of reinforced concrete.

Reinforced concrete shells 2.5 m high and 5 cm thick were compressed to breaking point, using jacks of suitable strength. The results varied on the area of the compressed surface (i.e., on the bearing length, since the bearing width was always equal to the thickness of the shell, i.e. 5 cm). When the bearing surface had an area of 250 cm (i.e., was 50 cm long), the results were as follows:

The panel buckled slightly under a force of approximately 40 tons; the buckling can be counteracted by exerting a relatively weak force of the order of 300 kg perpendicular to the panel;

The panel buckled and broke under a force of approximately 70 tons.

' These results, which were obtained with high-quality concrete made from siliceous aggregates, constitute one of the important findings which led to the invention.

Many similar tests have been carried out and showed that the results are easily reproducible.

The tests yielded some other important information: the concrete shell may be weaker if the surfaces bearing on the shell are too near to one corner of the shell. In such cases, the corner breaks under smaller loads. It is therefore advantageous, when very large loads have to be supported according to the invention, for the load-bearing surfaces not to be too near the lateral edges of the shells. It has been found experimentally that the corner effect, which is injurious to the shells in question, can be avoided, provided that the edges of the bearing surfaces are at least 15 cm from the lateral edges of the shells. 65

EXAMPLE 2 The properties of shells formed into trihedrons.

Two concrete shells cm thick and 2.5 m high were bolted together to form a 90 angle (the edge of a dwelling compartment). The resulting dihedron was bolted to concrete slabs similar to those forming the ceiling and floor of a dwelling compartment according to the invention. The complete assembly was compressed in the manner indicated in the previous example, by two bearing surfaces, each of 250 cm, in line with the concrete shells.

If no special precautions were taken, it was found that the double trihedron under test was only slightly stronger than a single shell used to construct the double trihedron. This result was due to the nonuniform dimensions of the shells, as a result of which the whole load was borne by a single shell. Even allowing for these defects, however, the test shows:

a. That a compartment according to the invention made of the tested components can bear at least 280 tons (on four load-bearing shells). If the safety factor is 4 and each compartment weighs approximately tons, from six to eight compartments can be piled on top of one another, i.e., a seven or nine-storey building can be constructed;

b. The double trihedron system under test has excellent resistance to all kinds of lateral forces.

Furthermore, when the test was repeated but close contact was ensured between the concrete shells and the slabs so as to eliminate inaccuracies in the relative dimensions of the shells and slabs, the double trihedron element broke under a load of approximately 170 tons. This shows that the aforementioned assembly leads to a considerable increase in strength, since one would have expected that the strength of the double trihedron unit would be twice the strength of a concrete shell, i.e., 140 tons. If, therefore, we assume that the four corners of a compartment according to the invention form a double trihedron of the kind described, the compartment could bear at least 170 X 4 680 tons, which is equivalent to at least compartments, assuming the same safety factor of 4 and that the weight of a compartment is approximately 10 tons.

The aforementioned result was obtained by inserting a layer of filled polyester between the slabs and the shells, level with the bearing surfaces of the compression device. The polyester was polymerized in situ to give an optimum contact between the shells and the slabs. 1

EXAMPLE 3 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Compartments and buildings according to the invention.

A compartment constructed according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The compartment is a parallelepipedal caisson 1 having external facing elements on some ofits side walls and having all the internal coverings and fittings required for comfort.

The compartment is essentially characterized in that a floor slab 2, a ceiling slab 3 and four side walls 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively are assembled together by their edges.

The ceiling and floor slabs 2 and 3 are made of rein forced concrete 8 cm thick; walls 4, 5, 6 and 7 are thin reinforced concrete shells 5 cm thick.

When the concrete is cast, the shells are formed with openings for doors, such as door 10 in wall 4, for windows such as aperture 11 in wall 5, and apertures for tubes, pipes, electric cables, heating ducts and the like. The drawing shows some of the apertures in walls 4 (reference 12) and in the ceiling slab (reference 13).

The slabs 2 and 3 and the walls 4, 5, 6 and 7 are bolted together in a manner to be explained hereinafter, to form the caisson 1.

When the compartment reaches the site, it is already equipped with a large number of accessories. Insulation sheets 15 are adhesively attached under the floor slab 2, and the slab has an interior floor surfacing 16 laid in the factory.

The facing wall 5 is covered with an insulation mat 17 and clad in a thin facing shell 18. In the present example, the shell 18 is made of reinforced concrete and suspended e.g. by hooks from wall 5. Decorative elements 19 surround the top and bottom of the window. The panel fittings also comprise a window 20 comprising a hinged sash and frame 21.

Inside the compartment, the back wall 7 has a fitted wall-cupboard unit 22. The inner surface of the ceiling slab 3 is painted, and walls 4 and 6 are covered with painted wallpaper. 3

In the present example, the internal dimensions of the compartment are 4,35 meters long, between walls 5 and 7, 2.70 meters wide, between walls 4 and 6, and 2.50 meters high, between floor slab 2 and ceiling slab 3.

FIG. 2 shows compartments of the kind previously described, assembled on two storeys. The compartments have identical dimensions but are without most of their coatings and fittings. It has also been assumed that the inner and outer joints have not yet been constructed.

The assembled unit comprises two bottom compartments 31 and 32, in contact along one of their long sides and bearing on prefabricated concrete sills 33. The sills are rigidly secured to a concrete foundation, which is not shown.

The top surface of the sills 33 defines a flat horizontal frame in which the compartments rest through gravity. 1

It can be seen that a gap 35 forming an air layer approximately 20 cm thick is left between the facing walls of compartments 31 and 32.

Two compartments of identical dimensions 36 and 37 are mounted above the external top surface of compartments 31 and 32, which bear their entire weight.

Breastsummers 41 and 42 are disposed between compartments 36, 37 and 31, 32 respectively. The bottom corners of compartments 36 and 37 rest on the breastsummers, which in the present example are prismatic concrete sections.

'The breastsummers 40 have two perpendicular vertical surfaces and are disposed at the outer corners of the top surface of compartments 31 and 32.

On the other hand, the adjacent corners 42 and 43 of two contiguous compartments 31 and 32 support a single breastsummer 41 having a single outer vertical surface. The breastsummer forms a bridge between the two compartments and simultaneously supports the adjacent corners of compartments 36 and 37, leaving a free space 45 of the same thickness as the free space 35 between the facing surfaces of compartments 36 and 37.

Consequently, the load of the top compartments 36 and 37 is transmitted to the load-bearing bottom compartments 31 and 32 by breastsummers 40 and 41 near the four vertical edges of each of the compartments 31 and 32. Breastsummers 40 and 41, which provide sufficient support for the top compartments 36 and 37, can secure the bottom slab of the aforementioned compartments so as to keep it in line and horizontal, and can leave horizontal free spaces 47 approximately cm high between the facing surfaces of the bottom and top compartments. The spaces communicate with one another and with the free vertical spaces 35 and 45. The free spaces have numerous advantages, inter alia for the conveyance of cables, ducts, conduits and the like serving the various compartments.

In the example described, the perpendicular horizontal edges of breastsummers 40 are about 40 cm long. They have an isosceles triangle cross-section with cutoff corners, and their truncated surfaces 48 are about 10 cm long. Breastsummers 41, which are moulded in concrete like breastsummers 40, may be considered to be formed by joining two breastsummers of the same kind as breastsummers 40. The distance between the truncated surfaces 49 and 50 is about 1 meter, to allow for the thickness of the spaces 35 and 45.

Compartments according to the invention are manufactured and assembled in the factory, to reduce the price to a minimum.

For example, the floor and ceiling slabs and the thin shells forming the side walls are mass-produced in a factory which specializes in the high-speed production of reinforced concrete shells.

Moulding tables are equipped with concrete reinforcements and components for forming the necessary apertures and openings in the plates when they are taken up after the concrete has set. All hooking, connecting, suspension and other means required for assembling and using the plates are likewise placed on the table and are embedded in the concrete when it is cast.

After being filled with concrete, the tables are suitably vibrated, smoothed and cured; the concrete can then easily be released from the mould and stored in a vertical position.

Clearly, one of the main advantages of the invention is that thin shells are used which can be manufactured very cheaply from an inexpensive material.

The economic importance of this feature is increased by the fact that, in the method of assembling the compartments, there are two lateral walls in each partition between two neighboring compartments, instead of a single wall as in prefabricated panel constructions. The shells should therefore be cheap to manufacture, so that the cost of the main walls and foundations is competitive with similar cellular methods. The cost can be kept low by using thin walls.

The shells used in the example have flat, smooth surfaces which can easily be taken out of the mould and immediately used. However, shells which do not have a flat continuous surface can of course be used when required.

The plates are bolted together in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the case ofa floor slab 52 and a side wall shell 53.

It can be seen that the inner side of the entire periphery of slab 52 has a rebate 54 in which the edge 55 of the lateral partition 53 is inserted.

A threaded socket 56 whose end terminates in the edge 55 perpendicular to its plane, is embedded in the concrete of the partition. Socket 56 is deeply anchored in the concrete by an anchoring means 57.

During assembly process, a non-threaded socket 58 is placed opposite socket 56 at the edge of slab 52 and axially perpendicular to its plane. Socket 58 is anchored in the concrete by an anchoring means 59. The slab 52 and shell 57 are assembled by bolts 60 extending inside the smooth sockets 58 and screwed into the threaded sockets 56.

A floor slab such as 52, for example, can have five sockets 58 along its long side and three along its short side, Le, a maximum of sixteen places for securing it to the shells forming the compartment.

Of course, the side wall shells have a corresponding number of attachment places. Shells such as 5 and 7 in FIG. 1, which cover the minor surfaces of the compartment, are fitted on the edge of shells 4 and 6 forming the major surfaces.

It has unexpectedly been discovered that, in spite of the thinness of the side walls and the simplicity of the method of assembling the caisson, the compartments have remarkable strength for transmitting vertical loads.

The compartments, which are completed and supplied with fittings at the factory, are assembled on site as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 shows prefabricated sills resting in notches 81 formed in concrete beds 82 forming the foundation of the building.

The top surfaces 83 of the sills are levelled by conventional methods and the two bottom compartments 85 are placed side by side so that their bottom edges rest on the sills 80.

Because of the tolerances with which the compartments are manufactured, their top surfaces 86 are usually not exactly horizontal or exactly in the same plane.

Before the breastsummers 40 and 41 supporting the upper compartments 90 are placed in position, a new horizontal plane is defined, e.g., by means of blocks 87 disposed at the corners of each compartment 85. The blocks can be made up of relatively thin lead sheets which are, e.g., 1 mm thick. The number of sheets is chosen so that the tops of each pile of blocks are perfectly level. The breastsummers 40 and 41 are then disposed on the blocks and the entire unit is secured to the top surface 86 of compartments 85, e.g., by bolting in threaded sockets.

It can immediately been seen that, because of the exceptional strength of reinforced concrete shells and of trihedrons and double trihedrons made by assembling the shells together and with the ceiling and floor slabs, it is often possible to obtain load-bearing compartments from which all or part of a shell has been removed. In such cases, however, the free vertical edges of the compartments should be reinforced by known elements such as section members.

A compartment of this kind is shown in FIG. 6, which is a perspective view of two neighboring load-bearing compartments without ceiling slabs.

A compartment does not have a wall on its minor surface 111 and the resulting surface communicates with the major surface 114 of another compartment 112 which has no wall at all except a truncated shell portion 113. If there were no walls at the communicating surfaces 111 and 114, the compartments 110 and 112 have reduced strength for bearing loads. Consequently, the vertical edges of walls 115 and 116 of compartment 110 and wall 117 of compartment 112 may need to be reinforced with U-shaped bracing section members 118, depending on the anticipated load.

The section members, which are made of steel, are thicker than the shells, and are, e.g., thicker than 8 cm. They are bolted to the edge of panels 115 and 116, e.g., by means of the same threaded sockets used for assembling the shells.

That arm of each U-shaped member on the inner side of the compartment rests in a rebate formed for this purpose in the panel edge, whereas the other arm of the U projects inside a cavity between two neighboring walls or between a wall and a facing element which it bears.

FIG. 6 also shows some of the breastsummers 40 to be placed at the outer corners of the compartments, and a breastsummer 41 to be placed above the walls 115 and 117.

EXAMPLE 4 Breastsummers (FIGS. 7 and 8) FIGS. 2 and 5 show breastsummers 40, 41 of various shapes, for use according to the invention. In FIGS. 2 and 5, the breastsummers comprise individual concrete sections. The sections can have any shape, which is easily adaptable to the various places where the sections are used.

The most commonly-used breastsummer shapes are shown in FIGS. 70, 7b, 7c and 7d.

The section shown in FIG. 7a, which is of the same kind as breastsummer 40 in FIG. 2, has a right isosceles triangle cross-section whose acute angles have been cut off, giving it two truncated surfaces 400 each bounded on one side by one of the two rectangular vertical surfaces 410 and 420 in line with the edge under the compartment and, on the other side, by a base 430. A broken line 440 onthe top surface of the section shows a bearing surface corresponding to the dihedron surface formed by the vertical walls of the adjacent compartment. Of course, a square'section could be used for covering this line, but re-entrant angles should be avoided in a fragile material like concrete.

A section such as 40 for assembling compartments of the kind illustrated in FIG. 2 should be, e.g., cm thick, and should have surfaces 410 and 411 which are 40 cm long and truncated surfaces 400 which are 8 cm Ion F IG. 7c shows a breastsummer similar to 41 and capable of supporting two adjacent corners of compartments whose lateral shells are shown in projection by broken lines 460 and 470.

The dimensions are the same as the dimensions of two adjacent sections 40, plus a thickness e in the direction of the long edge 480 equal to the vertical free space between two adjacent compartments.

FIG. 7b shows a breastsummer of elongated rectangular cross-section for receiving two corners of adjacent compartments whose facing surfaces are unwalled. The vertical projection of the side walls of the compartments is shown at 490 and 500. The walls are separated by the space e, as before.

FIG. 7d shows another kind of breastsummer, used for simultaneously supporting four adjacent compartments.

The breastsummer in FIG. 7d is designed so that it bears only on surfaces level with the shells forming the side walls of the compartments, at a certain distance from the vertical edge of the compartments. To this end, some portions of the breastsummers are recessed as shown in the drawing.

The dimensions and shapes of the breastsummers are given merely by way of example. As already stated, recesses can be formed on portions of the breastsummer surfaces so as to remove their bearing joints to a required distance from the compartment edge or level with the lateral compartment panels if required.

FIG; 8 shows a feature according to the invention in which the breastsummers comprise projections from the side panels of the compartments. In the latter case, the slab forming the compartment floor or ceiling is cut so that the bearing surfaces are formed by the projections from the side panels.

EXAMPLE 5 (FIGS. 9, 9a, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Air-conditioning apparatus in buildings according to the invention.

In the buildings according to the invention, the compartment surfaces bounding the outside of the buildings are preferably covered with a mat of heat insulating material such as glass wool. The top surfaces of the compartments on the top storey are similarly covered. A roof and light facing elements are secured to the compartments outside the heat insulating mat. The spaces between compartments are blocked at their ends.

We shall now describe air-conditioning apparatus, designed more particularly for heating a separate twostorey house made from eight elementary compartments having a rectangular horizontal cross-section. In such cases, as can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, it is known to group the compartments in a cyclic arrangement (i.e., so that a major surface of one compartment is in register with a minor surface of a neighboring compartment) so as to produce a useful additional space at the center of the resulting square.

In the aforementioned assembly, each storey comprises four compartments 142, 143, 144 and 145 (ground floor, FIG. 9) and 162, 163, 164 and 165 (first floor, FIG. 10). The compartments are disposed so that a minor surface of each compartment is in register with a major surface of another compartment so as to produce a useful additional space 147 on the ground floor and 167 on the first floor, at the center of the dwelling. The additional spaces are bounded by portions of the major surfaces of the compartments. Spaces 147 and 167 are horizontally separated from one another by a ceiling slab suspended from the edges of compartments 142 to 145, and by a floor slab resting on breastsummers 170 indicated by broken lines at the four corners of space 167 (FIG. 10). The breastsummers, which transmit the weight of the first-storey compartments to the ground-floor compartments, project slightly below the space 167.

FIG. 9a is an enlarged view of that part of FIG. 9 which is surrounded by a broken-line circle 139. FIG. 9a shows the two corners of adjacent compartments 142 and 145 whose external surfaces have facing panels 180 and 181 whose junction is masked by a stanchion 182. Glass wool linings 183 and 184 are adhesively secured to the outer walls of compartments 142 and 145, and the space 185 between the two compartments is blocked by a glass wool plug 186 about 5 cm thick.

FIG. 11, in vertical cross-section, shows part of the ground floor in FIG. 9 and a basement in which an airconditioning plant 190 is installed below the space 147. The lower part of plant 190 has an air inlet 191 and its upper part has an outlet 192 for pulses of air from a fan (not shown). The aperture 192 terminates in ajunction box 193 level with the services cavity under the compartments 142 to 145. The junction box is the starting point for a number of air distribution ducts for the ground floor, disposed in the services cavity, and for a vertical conduit 194 which extends through the space 147 and terminates in another distribution box 195 disposed between the ceiling slab 196 and the floor slab 197 between spaces 147 and 167. Box 195 is the starting point for air distribution ducts to the first-storey compartments, the ducts being disposed in the horizontal spaces formed by the breastsummers.

The air distribution ducts to the ground floor are indicated in FIG. 9 by broken lines and numbered 152, 153, 154 and 155. In each compartment, they terminate in a rectangular air inlet opening into the floor, generally underneath a window near the middle of the corresponding wall. The openings, numbered 156 to 159, are covered with a metal grid which admits air. All the ducts 152 to 155 come from the distribution box 193. Air is distributed in the same manner on the first storey. Ducts 172 to 175 leaving the distribution box 195 are indicated by broken lines terminating at rectangular inlets 176 to 179 in the floor of the compartments.

The air supplying the first-storey compartments is withdrawn through inlets 202 to 205 formed at the top of the compartment walls and terminating in the free spaces left between the facing surfaces of adjacent compartments. The inlets are equipped with grids. The free spaces, where the air is at low pressure, are connected to the services cavity. A conduit (FIG. 11) for withdrawing air from the first storey extends vertically to the bottom of space 147, where it terminates in a box 200 in the services cavity. The top part of duct 198 has two perpendicular withdrawal inlets 187 and 188 terminating in space 147 and compartment 143 respectively.

Box 200 is connected to the inlet 191 of plant 190 b a conduit 201 extending down through the basement. Box 200 also comprises an air intake 210 into the services cavity. The cavity is connected to the exterior by an adjustable opening trap which is generally disposed on the same side as the prevailing winds, in one of the sills supporting the ground-floor compartments. The trap, shown by broken lines in FIG. 9 and bearing the reference number 211, admits a certain amount of fresh air into duct 201. The amount can be adjusted by a shutter level with the trap 211. The adjustment is usually made to ensure that the volume of fresh air is about one-fifth the total volume of air admitted to the air-conditioning plant. The plant, incidentally, is adjusted so that every hour it processes a volume of air which is about five times the inhabitable volume of the dwelling.

An installation of the kind described can be very easily and cheaply assembled. With regard to the supply to the bottom compartments 142 to 145, the ducts 152 to 155, which can, e.g., be made of glass wool tubes coated with polyethylene films and joined by metal sleeves, are placed in the services cavity after the plant 190 has been installed and connected to the box 193.

The ducts 172 to 175 supplying the compartments 162 to 165 on the first storey are disposed on the ceiling slabs of the bottom compartments 142 to 145, on leaving the factory. The ducts can be made, e.g., of a very light, cheap material such as plastic-coated concertina cardboard. On the site, they are connected to the box 195 terminating the conduit 194. The conduit 198 for withdrawing air is the only one which needs to be assembled and connected to the openings provided. The air distribution ducts can be connected by any method to the inlets in compartments 156 to 159 and 176 to 179.

Of course, the foregoing example is given merely to illustrate an air-conditioning method which can be used.

Since air can flow between the compartments, the process described can easily be improved, e.g. by omitting all hot-air ducts oralternatively by omitting all cold-air ducts, in which case the hot or cold air is conveyed by a simple blower or suction fan to the services cavity. The hot and cold air can also be conveyed by suitable baffles in the space between compartments, so that no piping at all is required.

We claim:

1. In multi-storey buildings comprising unit compartments which can be completely constructed in the factory and easily transported, comprising ceiling and floor slabs and side walls made of reinforced concrete, the improvement which comprises that:

the compartments have side walls which are shells of reinforced concrete between 3 and 8 cm thick;

the side walls are bolted to each other and to the celling and floor slabs;

and the compartments of the bottom storey comprise suitably disposed breastsummers of suitable dimensions which bear at least one storey of compartments of the same kind, said breastsummers being concrete sections separate from said side walls, ceiling and floor slabs.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the shell thickness is between 4 and 6 cm.

3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the breastsummers have bearing surfaces in the neighborhood of the vertical edges of the compartments.

4. The improvement of claim 3 wherein the bearing surfaces of the breastsummers are disposed level with the side walls and the edge of the bearing surfaces of the breastsummers is at least 15 cm from the vertical edges of the compartments.

5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein each compartment is borne by at least three breastsummers which each have bearing surfaces of between and 500 cm level with the side walls.

' 6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the surfaces are locally coated with a plastic substance which can harden in situ in order to improve the contact between the bearing surfaces.

fittings for each compartment are assembled outside the compartment in the factory, by means of a bunch of electric conductors each of given length, all the conductors being connected to a junction box which in turn can be secured on a wall or slab of the corresponding compartment. 

1. In multi-storey buildings comprising unit compartments which can be completely constructed in the factory and easily transported, comprising ceiling and floor slabs and side walls made of reinforced concrete, the improvement which comprises that: the compartments have side walls which are shells of reinforced concrete between 3 and 8 cm thick; the side walls are bolted to each other and to the ceiling and floor slabs; and the compartments of the bottom storey comprise suitably disposed breastsummers of suitable dimensions which bear at least one storey of compartments of the same kind, said breastsummers being concrete sections separate from said side walls, ceiling and floor slabs.
 2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the shell thickness is between 4 and 6 cm.
 3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the breastsummers have bearing surfaces in the neighborhood of the vertical edges of the compartments.
 4. The improvement of claim 3 wherein the bearing surfaces of the breastsummers are disposed level with the side walls and the edge of the bearing surfaces of the breastsummers is at least 15 cm from the vertical edges of the compartments.
 5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein each compartment is borne by at least three breastsummers which each have bearing surfaces of between 100 and 500 cm2 level with the side walls.
 6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the surfaces are locally coated with a plastic substance which can harden in situ in order to improve the contact between the bearing surfaces.
 7. The improvement of claim 6 wherein the plastic substance used is a thermosetting plastics, preferably a filled polyester.
 8. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the surfaces of the different compartments in the space inside the buildings are each separated by a continuous empty space.
 9. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the electric fittings for each compartment are assembled outside the compartment in the factory, by means of a bunch of electric conductors each of given length, all the conductors being connected to a junction box which in turn can be secured on a wall or slab of the corresponding compartment. 